Sewing machine foot for use in sewing concealed sliding clasp fasteners



1959 E. w. c. DIXON EI'AL 2,999,136

SEWING MACHINE FOOT FOR USE IN SEWING coucmso SLIDING CLASP FASTENERSFiled Dec. 18, 1956 IN VEN TORS ERIC WILLIAM CHILDS 01x0:

RON Fawn-m ATTORNEYS United States Patent SEWING MACHINE FOOT FOR USE INSEWING CONCEALED SLIDING CLASP FASTENERS Eric William Chllds Dixon,Goodmayes, and Ron Fowler, Banstead, 0' Plneket Closing Corporation ofAmerica, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Application December18, 1956, Serial No. 629,038 8 Claims. (Cl. =11Z235) The presentinvention relates to an improved sewing machine presser foot for use insewing margmalporhons of a garment or the to the element-supporting taof a concealed sliding-clasp fastener.

In concealed sliding-clasp fasteners, the thickened edges of theelement-supporting tapes are accommodated in recesses having narrowthroats which, when the fastener is fitted to a garment and closed, openat an inclination towards one another and towards the outside of thegarment. The tapes, starting from the thickened edges, are similarlyinclined towards one another and outwardly where they pass out throughthe narrow throats and are then curved around away from one another. Themar ginal portions of the garment are applied over the convex surfacesof the curved parts of the tapes and are sewn to the latter as close aspossible to the fastener elements. These marginal portions are thusbrought into close contact with one another when the fastener is closed,so that they conceal not only the tapes but also the interlockingportions of the fastener elements, and the joint in the fabric of thegarment has the appearance of a sewn seam. I

When using a sewing machine with a conventional foot for sewing themarginal portions of a garment fabric to the tapes of such sliding-claspfasteners, it is diflicult, if not impossible, to obtain a straight sewnseam sufficiently close to the fastener elements.

It is the object of this invention to overcome this difliculty, and withthis object in view the improved sewing machine presser foot accordingto this invention has formed in the sole thereof,'closely adjacent aguide hole for the sewing machine needle, a guide groove extendinglongitudinally in the direction from the toe to the heel of the foot andadapted, when sewing a fastener tape to a marginal portion of the fabricof a garment, to receive and slidably guide the row of projectingportions of the fastener elements attached to said tape which projectsin the opposite direction to the row of interlocking portions of thesame elements.

The foot is preferably provided with two such grooves arranged parallelto one another, and closely adjacent the needle guide hole on oppositesides thereof, so that the fastener does not need to be turned round endfor end after sewing one tape and before sewing the other.

The invention is also conoemed with improvements in such a sewingmachine presser foot with a view to enabling the parts of the garment orthe like beyond the permanently closed end of the concealed slidefastener to be sewn together in a seam extending as far as the stitchingconnecting the element-supporting tapes to the parts of the garment orthe like on each side of the opening therein. For this purpose,according to a further feature of the invention, the sides of the toeportion of a sewing machine presser foot having two parallel groovesformed in the sole thereof may be tapered inward towards the front endpart thereof containing the needle guide hole, so that only thin wallparts are left between said needle guide hole and the tapered sides.

2,909,136 Patented Oct. 20, 1959 ice The tapered side surfaces of thetoe portion of the foot preferably have a concave curvature.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a sewing machine presser foot,

Fig. 2 is a perspective view, showing a modified sewing machine presserfoot positioned for sewing an element-supporting tape of a concealedslide fastener to a marginal portion of a garment,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary frontelevation of the sewing machine presserfoot positioned for sewing as in Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the modified sewing machinepresser foot shown in Figs. 2 and 3,

Fig. 5 is a partly sectioned view from the inside of a garment,illustrating the procedure for sewing in a concealed slide fastener withthe aid of the said modified sewing-machine presser foot, and

Fig. 6 is a partly sectional viewfrom the outside of the garmentillustrating the use of the modified sewing machine presser foot forsewing together the two garment parts which carry the two tapes of theconcealed slide fastener so as to form a seam beyond the permanentlyclosed end of the concealed slide fastener.

The same references are used to indicate like parts in all figures ofthe accompanying drawings.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the lower part 7 of the presser foot(which will be referred to for convenience as the foot") is formedintegrally on the lower end of a support 8 which is provided at itsupper end with a grooved and'slotted head 9 for attachment to the sewingmachine. This foot 7 has the form of a plate which is substantiallyrectangular in plan. The heel and toe ends of the foot 7 have theirlower edges rounded off as at 11, 12, so that, in use, the foot willslide smoothly over the fabric of the fastener tapes. A needle guidehole 13 is arranged midway between the two sides of the foot 7 and closeto the toe end thereof.

Formed in the sole of the foot 7, one on each side of this needle guidehole 13, are two grooves 14, 15 arranged parallel to one another, and tothe sides of the foot. The width and depth of each of these grooves 14,15 are determined by the dimensions of the fastener elements of thesliding-clasp fastener with which the sewing machine presser foot isintended to be used. The partition 16 formed by the part of the sole ofthe foot between these two grooves, which maybe approximately 1 mm.wide, is interrupted where the foot 7 is pierced by theneedle guide hole13.

The arrangement of the grooves 14, 15 in the sole of the foot 7 is moreclearly illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, although these views in commonwith Figs. 2, Sand 6, show a modified construction.

Themodified construction differs from that according to Fig. 1 only inthat the sides- 17, 18 of the toe portion of the foot 7 are taperedinward towards the front end part containing the needle guide hole '13.The surfaces of the tapered sides 17, 18 'of the toe portion are concave(Fig. 4). Due to this tapering of the toe portion the laterally outsidewall portions 19, 20 of the grooves 14, 15 finish slightly behind theneedle guide hole 13. A portion 16' of the partition 16 is left howeverin front of the said needle guide hole.

When it is required to sew a concealed sliding-clasp fastener into agarment, the fastener is first opened to its fullest extent. One of themarginal portions of the garment is then assembled in the requiredposition with respect to, and pinned to, the corresponding fastener tapeon the side of the latter on which the interlocking portions of thefastener elements project. 7

The tape and the marginal portion of the garment so assembled are nowplaced in position beneath the foot,

of the elements as the tape.

Thus in Figs. 3 and 4, the element portions 21 are engaged in the groove14, so that-the needle guide hole 13 and the partition 1, 16' are on thesame side of the elements asthetape23. ThetapeGSandmarginalportion24ofthe garmentcannowbesewntogetherbythemachineduringwhichoperationthefastenertapefl and garment fabric will beaccurately guided beneath foot7 by the elements sliding in the guidegroove 14 m the sole of the foot. Consequently, the sewn seam 25 will beclose to and evenly spaced from the elements attachedtothetape23.AftertheseamZShasbeen sewn the main part 26 of the garment fabric isfolded back at the seam under the marginal portion 24.

After this operation has been completed, the same procedure is followedfor sewing the other fastener tape to the other marginal portion of thegarment, except that the projecting portions of the elements in thiscase are engaged in the other slot 15 in the foot. The provision of thetwo slots 14, 15 in the foot 7 makes it unnecessary tom the fastenerround end for end before sewing the second side. It also makes itpossible to sew always in the direction from the separated end of thefastener towards the permanently interconnected end thereof, asindicated by the arrow 27 in Fig. 5.

When sewing the fastener tapes to the marginal portions of a garment,the slider '28 (Fig. is preferably adjusted to a position a shortdistance away from the element 2! which secures the two parts of thefastener together at the permanently closed end. Both fastener tapes arethen sewn to the respective marginal portions 24 of the garment in thedirection from the open end of the fastener to the permanently closedend withthe aid of the foot as illustrated in Fig. 5. The resultingseams 25 thus finish close to the slider 28. After this has been done,the garment is turned over and the two parts of the garment are sewntogether in the direction of: the arrow 31 (Fig. 6) along a seam 32. Forthis operation, the modified construction of foot illustrated in Figs. 2to 6 is particularly advantageous, since it enables the seam 21 to becontinued in the direction of the arrow 31 (Fig. 6) sufficiently far tojoin the seams 25. When sewing the seam 32, the tape end parts 33connected togetherby the element 29 are pulled out to one side as shownin Fig. 6. Due to the pointed shape of the toe portion of the foot 7 andto the thin walls left between the needle guide hole 13 and the sides17, 18 of the foot, the sewing machine needle is able to sew the seamclose up alongside the slider 28 to join one of the two seams 25.

The foot could be provided with only a single groove on one side of theneedle guide hole 13, but for the reasons already mentioned it ispreferred to have two grooves 14, 15 as described above.

The foot 1 in either construction may also, if desired, be hinged to thesupport 8 in known manner.

What we claim is:

l. A sewing machine presser foot for use in sewing marginal portions ofa garment or the liketo the elementsupporting tapes of a concealedsliding-clasp fastener, wherein there is provided in the sole of saidfoot a pair of laterally spaced straight guide grooves extending theentire length of said foot, said grooves being parallel to each otherand having similar dimensions, the parallel innermost straight edges ofsaid guide grooves being spaced from each other, a partition whoselowermost surface is generally defined by the parallel innermoststraight edges of said guide grooves separating said guide grooves, saidlowermost surface consisting of a flat land means within said parallelinnermost straight edges which may rest upon one of the tapes of thesliding-clasp fastener without scoring the same when the presser foot isbeing used, a needle guide hole formed in the presser foot and extendingdownwardly through said partition with the center of said needle guidehole being midway between the parallel straight edges of said guidegrooves, and with the diameter of said needle guide hole being greaterthan the width of said partition wherein a like portion of said needleguide hole is disposed in each of said grooves.

2. A sewing machine presser foot for use in sewing marginal portions ofa garment or the like to the element-supporting tapes of a concealedsliding-clasp fastener having a sole and a toe portion, wherein there isprovided in the sole of said foot a pair of laterally spaced straightguide grooves extending the entire length of said foot, saidgroovesbeingparalleltoeachotherandhavingsimilsr dimensions, a partitionwho lowermost surface is generally defined by the parallel inner-menstraight edges of said guide grooves separating said guide grooves, thesides of the toe portion of said foot being concavely tapered inwardlytowards the front end part thereof, a needle guide hole formed in thepresser foot and extending downwardly through said partition with thecenter of said needle guide hole being midway between the parallelstraight edges of said guide grooves, with the diameter of said needleguide hole being greater than the width of said partition wherein a likeportion of said needle guide hole isdisposedineachofsaidgrooves,andwiththeneedle guideholebeingdisposedinthetapered frontendpartof the foot so that only thin aide parts are left interme diate saidnndle guide hole and said tapered sides.

3.Asewingmachinepresserfootfor useinsewing marginal portions of agarment or the like to the elementsupporting tapes of a concealedsliding-clasp fastener, having a sole and a toe portion wherein there isprovided in the sole of said font a pair of laterally spaced straightguide grooves extending the entire length of said foot, said groovesbeing parallel to each other and having similar dimensions, a partitionwhose lowermost surface is generally defined by the parallel innermoststraight edges of said guide grooves separating-said guide grooves, thesides of the toe portion of said presser foot being concavely taperedinwardly towards the front end part thereof, a needle guide hole formedin the presser foot and extending downwardly through the partition, saidnwdle guide hole being disposed in the tapered front end part of the toeportion, said toe portion being so tapered that the lateral outside wallportions of the grooves finish behind the needle guide hole, said needleguide hole being positioned on said partition with the center of saidneedle guide hole being midway between the parallel straight edges ofsaid guide grooves, and with the diameter of said needle guide holebeing greater than the width of said partition wherein a like portion ofsaid needle guide hole isdisposedineachofsaidgrooves.

4. A sewing machine presser foot for use in sewing marginal portions ofa garment or the like to the elementsupporting tapes of a concealedsliding-clasp fastener, having a sole and a toe portion wherein there isprovided in the sole of said feet a pair of laterally spaced straightguide grooves extending the entire length of said foot, with the outsidewalls of each of said guide grooves being spaced at a similar distancefrom the outside walls of said foot at any given point along the lengthof said foot; said grooves being parallel to each other and having aim-1I ilar dimensions, the parallel innermost straight edges ofthe parallelinnermost straight edges of said guide grooves separating said guidegrooves, said lowermost surface consisting of a flat land means withinsaid parallel innermost straight edges which may rest upon one of thetapes of the sliding-clasp fastener without scoring the same when thepresser foot is being used, a needle guide hole formed in the presserfoot and extending downwardly through said partition midway between theoutside walls of said foot, with the center of said needle guide holebeing midway between the parallel straight edges of said guide grooves,and with the diameter of said needle guide hole being greater than thewidth of said partition wherein a like portion of said needle guide holeis disposed in each of said grooves.

5. A sewing machine presser foot as claimed in claim 4 in whichthebottom surface of the partition is spaced above the bottom surfaces ofthe outside walls of said foot.

6. A sewing machine presser foot for use in sewing marginal portions ofa garment or the like to the elementsupporting tapes of a concealedsliding-clasp fastener, having a sole and a toe portion wherein there isprovided in the sole of said foot a pair of laterally spaced straightguide grooves extending the entire length of said foot, said groovesbeing parallel to each other and having similar dimensions, a partitionwhose lowermost surface is generally defined by the parallel innermoststraight edges of the guide grooves separating the guide grooves, withthe bottom surface of said partition being spaced above the paralleloutermost straight edges of the guide grooves, a needle guide holeformed in the presser foot and extending downwardly through saidpartition with the center of said needle guide hole being midway between the parallel straight edges of said guide grooves, and with thediameter of said needle guide hole being greater than the width of saidpartition wherein a like portion of said needle guide hole is disposedin each of said grooves.

7. A sewing machine presser foot for use in sewing marginal portions ofa garment or the like to the elementsupporting tapes of a concealedsliding-clasp fastener, having a sole and a toe portion wherein there isprovided in the sole of said foot a pair of laterally spaced straightguide grooves extending the entire length of said foot, with each ofsaid guide grooves having parallel upright walls, said grooves beingparallel to each other and having similar dimensions, a partition whoselowermost surface is generally defined by the parallel innermoststraight edges of said guide grooves separating said guide grooves,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED sTATEs PATENTS338,163 Conpropst Mar. 16, 1886 381,090 Sutherland Apr. 10, 1888 415,000Rossiter Nov. 12, 1889 1,207,619 Penny Dec. 5, 1916 2,369,118 CumferFeb. 13, 1945 2,697,994 Wurker Dec. 28, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 21,769

Great Britain Sept. 26, 1913

